Chapter 194: The Ascension of a Mythical Beast

The current week was almost like a speedrun through breakthrough and ascension. And it was especially so for the strong eleven. Some "normal" disciples also managed to ascend, gaining powerful elements, though their ascensions weren’t as eventful as that of Bahamut, Sel, and Gabi.

Speaking of these people, Bahamut could be seen walking with Alana hand-in-hand, Ren on his head, and Sel strolling beside them. He had woken up earlier that day, just after Gabi’s ascension. They were walking out of Henut’s residence, where they’d gone to check up on Exildra. Lily hadn’t come with them. She was focused on training and cultivation, and from what they’d learned, she had been in a state of enlightenment since the other day.

"It is highly possible that Lily would ascend today," Bahamut said with a contemplative expression, his eyes glowing slightly beneath the blindfolds.

"I doubt. It hasn’t been a full day yet," Ren argued.

"Lily isn’t weak. She’s from a family of mythical beasts. I am very s-" Bahamut didn’t end his statement when his instincts screamed. He quickly grabbed Alana and was about to jump when they heard the sound. It was loud, booming, and screamed of power. The thunderstrike of ascension.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

"What the-!" Ren exclaimed in shock, while Sel and Bahamut stared at him as if to say, "We always knew you were stupid." But something else caught their attention. This ascension was different. Unlike theirs, where the sky turned dark among others, but with this one, the sky was still clear. There was nothing that showed that an ascension was about to take place apart from the thunderstrike.

"Wait... Did it suddenly get hot?" Sel commented, and it was true. The temperature suddenly rose, and in just seconds, they were all sweating. They could even see the vapor and heat waves in the environment.

Looking up, they saw a red fox, about the size of a normal dog, floating upwards. It had two tails, with one appearing to be ethereal. It was glowing brightly, and before their very eyes, a firestorm materialized in the air. The temperature rose up a spike, making everyone feel dehydrated in seconds.

The air didn’t just grow hot: it burned. What started as a steady temperature rise turned violent in seconds. The ground dried and cracked audibly, moisture in the air vanishing as if devoured by an unseen force. Leaves curled in on themselves. Wooden structures in the distance creaked, their surfaces darkening from the sheer intensity of the heat.

And at the center of it all was Lily, or rather... the fox. Her red fur shimmered like molten silk, every strand glowing faintly as heat waves distorted the space around her small body. The second tail, ethereal and almost translucent, flowed behind her like a living flame, flickering and stretching unnaturally as if it existed in another layer of reality.

Spirals of flame twisted into existence from nothing, gathering into a blazing vortex that expanded with terrifying speed. The air itself ignited.

Sel narrowed his eyes. "That’s not normal fire."

Bahamut didn’t respond; he just kept on watching closely. His instincts weren’t screaming danger. They were recognizing something.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The second thunderstrike tore through the sky, but just like before, the sky did not darken. It remained clear and blue, mockingly calm. And yet, the lightning that descended was no less terrifying. It came down like a spear of pure judgment, straight toward Lily. The moment it entered the firestorm, everything exploded.

FLAAAAAASH!!!

The lightning couldn’t pierce through. It was rather swallowed, engulfed by the raging inferno that surrounded her. For a split second, the entire sky turned white, then orange, gold, and crimson. The firestorm expanded violently, doubling in size as the lightning dispersed within it, crackling through the flames like a trapped beast.

And at the center, Lily’s body trembled from power. Her small fox form arched slightly as arcs of lightning danced across her fur, weaving into the flames that wrapped around her like a cocoon. The electricity didn’t destroy the fire. It fed it, refined it, and the flames burned brighter and hotter.

"She’s absorbing it," Sel muttered, his voice low.

Ren’s ears twitched.

"That’s insane... even you didn’t do that cleanly."

Bahamut smirked faintly.

"That’s Lily for you."

Above, the third strike formed instantly faster than the last.

CRAAAAACK!!!

It descended with terrifying speed, and this time it broke through. The lightning tore into the firestorm, splitting it apart for a brief moment and striking Lily directly. Her body jolted violently. The flames around her flickered, destabilized for a fraction of a second... They dimmed.

"Lily!" Alana’s voice broke out, her grip tightening around Bahamut’s hand, but Bahamut didn’t move or react. His gaze remained fixed.

"Watch."

Above, something changed. The moment the lightning struck her, the flames didn’t die. They transformed. What was once wild and spiraling began to compress, condense, and focus. The chaotic inferno tightened around her body, shrinking inward until it formed a blazing mantle that clung to her form like armor. Her fur darkened at the edges. They were not burnt, but rather refined. Her red eyes snapped open. They no longer held their usual playful madness. They burned deep, ancient, and hungry.

"Grrrr..."

A low growl escaped her. It wasn’t loud, but everyone heard it. It resounded deep in their beings, and the flames responded.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The firestorm erupted again, but this time it wasn’t chaotic. It was controlled. A pillar of fire shot upward, colliding directly with the next lightning strike that had just begun to descend. Fire met lightning. The collision didn’t explode immediately. For a moment, they held, pushing against each other like two opposing wills refusing to yield.

Then suddenly, the fire surged. It swallowed the lightning whole. The sky rippled from the impact. Heat spread outward in a violent wave, forcing everyone watching to step back instinctively.

Ren’s eyes widened.

"Okay, that’s just unfair."

Sel exhaled slowly.

"She’s not being tested."

Bahamut’s smile deepened.

"She’s being acknowledged."

Lily’s body rose higher. The ethereal tail behind her grew longer, brighter, its form becoming more defined as it swayed with a will of its own. The flames around her shifted again, taking shape from a storm to something more regal, something that hinted at lineage: a power that wasn’t borrowed, but inherited.

The next lightning strike gathered, but this time it hesitated for a moment, as if the heavens themselves were reconsidering. Then it fell. The fire around her roared to life as she lunged upward in her small fox form, diving straight into the descending lightning.

There was a great clash. Fire and lightning intertwined violently, wrapping around her body as she was bathed completely in their combined fury. Her form disappeared within the blinding light. The entire sect held its breath, watching and waiting for what would happen next.

...

The clash of lightning and fire continued for a good time, and the more they clashed, the more the heat became unbearable. The storm reached its peak and broke. The lightning that had once roared across the sky flickered weakly, its brilliance dimming as if something had drained its very purpose. The fire that had clashed against it didn’t fade either.

The final strike gathered above, thicker than all the others, coiling like a divine executioner preparing its last descent. The pressure alone forced countless disciples to their knees. The air became heavy, suffocating, as if the world itself was holding its breath. And then, it fell.

A pillar of pure destruction. Straight down onto her. Within the storm, Lily moved. Her small fox body surged upward, flames trailing behind her like a comet’s tail. The ethereal tail flared brilliantly, stretching as if to anchor her to something beyond the physical. She met it. The moment the lightning and flames collided, the sky vanished. Light consumed everything. No one could see or hear.

Fragments of blinding energy broke apart like glass, dissolving into nothingness as the flames surged forward, swallowing what remained of the heavens’ final judgment. The firestorm collapsed inward, and something emerged. The flames peeled away slowly, like petals opening to reveal what lay beneath.

Lily.

She floated in the sky, her body now the size of a lion, her form sleek, powerful, and impossibly beautiful. Her fur glowed a deep, radiant red, threaded with faint white patterns that pulsed like embers beneath the surface. Two tails swayed behind her. One physical and lush, full, and blazing with contained heat. The other was ethereal, a flowing extension of pure flame and spirit, shifting constantly, leaving trails of golden fire in the air with every movement.

Silence gripped the sect.

"She..." Ren whispered, his voice unusually quiet. "...she actually overpowered it."

Sel didn’t respond. His gaze remained fixed upward, sharp, calculating, and impressed. Bahamut, however, smiled proudly.

"That’s my fox." Lily’s massive form wavered slightly in the air. The flames around her dimmed, and her body trembled from exhaustion. Her eyes fluttered, and her ascent slowed. She began to fall. Gasps spread through the crowd.

"She’s falling!"

"Someone-!"

Before anyone could even finish, Bahamut moved. One moment, he stood on the ground; the next, he wasn’t there.

BOOM!

The earth cratered violently, stone cracking outward in a perfect circle as a powerful gust of wind exploded from the point he had stood. Golden eagle wings burst from his back, their span wide and radiant, each feather gleaming like forged sunlight. His body shot upward like a projectile, tearing through the sky with such speed that most of those watching didn’t even perceive the motion. To them, it looked as if he had appeared mid-air and caught her.

The impact sent a ripple through the air, a soft burst of wind spreading outward as his wings flared wide, stabilizing them both in the sky. Lily’s massive fox form shrank the moment she touched him, flames peeling away as her body reverted to her humanoid shape. Her red hair flowed freely, her tails, one physical, one ethereal, resting weakly behind her.